Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
08:47
Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Oral Health, Polypharmacy and Nutritional Status in Institutionalized Dementia Patients: A Multicenter
Joana Pombo-Lopes1,2,3, Diogo Sousa-Catita1,2,4, Paulo Mascarenhas1,2
1Clinical Research Unit (CRU), Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Egas Moniz Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal.
Biomedicines
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Dementia patients in long-term care face significant oral health issues and malnutrition risks. Advanced age, polypharmacy, and institutional settings are key predictors, highlighting the need for integrated care strategies.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Public Health
- Oral Health and Geriatric Medicine
- Nutritional Science in Elderly Care
Background:
- Aging populations present increasing challenges with dementia, impacting public health.
- Institutionalized individuals with dementia require focused assessment of oral health and nutritional status.
- Understanding the interplay between oral health, nutrition, and dementia is crucial for effective care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the oral health and nutritional status of institutionalized Portuguese adults with dementia.
- To identify predictors of oral health and nutritional status in this vulnerable population.
- To explore the interrelationships between oral health, nutritional status, and dementia.
Main Methods:
- Multicenter, cross-sectional study involving 71 institutionalized dementia patients.
- Assessment utilized the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, plaque (PI) and gingival (GI) indices, Short Xerostomia Inventory (SXI-5), and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).
- Multivariable regression models (OLS and negative binomial) were employed to analyze predictors.
Main Results:
- High dental disease burden (mean DMFT 24.3) was observed, predicted by advanced age and public long-term care unit residence.
- Polypharmacy significantly predicted tooth loss; each additional medication decreased natural tooth retention likelihood by 18%.
- Higher cognitive decline correlated with increased plaque, while modified diets were linked to lower plaque; malnutrition risk was high (mean MNA 16.9).
Conclusions:
- Institutionalized dementia patients exhibit severe oral health deficits and malnutrition risks.
- Age, polypharmacy, and the institutional environment are significant contributing factors.
- Multidisciplinary protocols and enhanced caregiver training are essential for addressing these interconnected health challenges.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:00Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Drug distribution in the human body is influenced by several factors, including plasma protein concentration, body composition, blood flow, tissue-protein concentration, and tissue fluid pH. Among these, changes in plasma protein concentration and body composition due to aging significantly affect how drugs are distributed within the body. Specifically, aging is associated with a decrease in albumin levels by about 10% and an increase in α1-acid glycoprotein levels. These alterations are not...
01:30Development of Human Microbiota
The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from the skin...
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Geriatric patients show significant variation in how their bodies process medications, which can change how effective and safe treatments are. The liver is the primary organ where drug metabolism occurs, involving two main types of chemical reactions: phase I and II. Phase I metabolism is driven by the cytochrome P450 enzyme system, which includes key types such as CYP3A, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9. Research indicates that while aging doesn't notably alter the levels or activity of these enzymes, it...
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...